


Cash Me Out

by naegahosh



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort/Angst, M/M, law student seungkwan, loan shark seungcheol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5207576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naegahosh/pseuds/naegahosh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seungkwan is so used to the loan shark that's been waiting in front of his house at the end of his convenience store night shifts that he has the nerve to pluck the guy's cigarettes from his lips and mash the lights under his shoes. Seungcheol doesn't even notice that it's an act of defiance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_"The government has announced to raise the minimum wage by the highest rate since 2008, an official said Thursday, in an apparent effort to revive the faltering economy. Still, the public voice raises discontent over the compromise as-"_

"Excuse me."

Seungkwan jolted at the disgruntled voice, his eyes skating away from the reporter on the television to the impatient looking customer in front of him. The middle-aged man in a crumpled suit nudged his chin towards the pack of gum he threw on the counter, waiting for Seungkwan to cash it out for him.

"Sorry," Seungkwan apologized as he proceeded to scan the item. The man's eyes stalled on the shelves of cigarettes behind the cashier for a second, before he grudgingly reached for his wallet.

"And throw in a pack of Parliament Light too."

Seungkwan nodded and turned around. A little too fast, because he halted in the midst and almost tripped over his own foot before he actually got where he wanted to be. Seungkwan uneasily eyed the rows of similar looking boxes aligned in front of him. _Shit, which one was the Parla-thingamajig again?_ Seungkwan bit his lip as he inwardly cursed to himself. He always got the cigarette brands confused, and honestly, he'd think he would've gotten the hang of it by now, having worked at this convenience store for two months already. He was wrong.

"It's the one to your right." The man's disgruntled voice was elevating to a clear irritation now. "On the upper shelf, no, below that- come on kid, I don't have time for this."

Seungkwan's hands hastily fumbled for the correct pack of cigarettes before he turned back around.

"Sorry," He apologized for the secondth time. "I'll remember next time."

"Yeah, you better." The man growled. "I can't take anymore of anything at this time of hour."

Seungkwan sighed as he watched the man leave. He had been out of it all day, lacking sleep from his already limited hours of sleeping. It seemed worth it when he was flying through his test in the morning, but enduring through his night shift was even more brutal than he'd expected. Taking his eyes off from the pitch black window, Seungkwan looked at the clock, massaging his shoulders draped under the orange uniform vest. It was past one thirty in the morning, and a certain part-time employee to take over his shift was falling slightly late.

The chimes on the door _ding_ -ed at that moment, and the muffled buzzing of music being blasted through cheap earphones disturbed the quiet silence. _Speak of the devil_ , Seungkwan smiled before he looked up to confirm who it was.

"I'm so sorry, Seungkwan-ah!"

Soonyoung came tumbling inside the store. He fixed up the headband that slipped down during his run and tried to put his right arm through the hole of his orange vest, failing miserably with each disheveled attempt.

"The dance practice got dragged longer than I'd expected it to, and gosh, I feel terrible for making you miss the last bus..."

Soonyoung sputtered as he made his way around the workstation, his arm still flailing about without much success.

"It's okay, hyung."

Seungkwan chuckled, holding the vest up for Soonyoung as the older male finally got his arm through.

"I kind of needed to walk home and breathe some cold air to wake myself up anyways."

Soonyoung looked personally offended by Seungkwan's response.

"Wake up?" He frowned, zipping his vest up and facing the boy whom Soonyoung would've sworn looked exhausted in any stranger's eyes. "You need to sleep. I thought you gave it up last night to study too."

"Being a senior high school student in Korea isn't an easy task, you know."

Seungkwan shrugged, folding up his vest and shoving it into his backpack. Soonyoung nodded, turning sympathetic at the comment, and finally shuddering as if to have involuntarily reminisced back to his high school days. Seungkwan laughed as he put on his school uniform blazer. He waved bye to Soonyoung and was about to walk out of the convenience store when Soonyoung called his name.

"Seungkwan, take this!"

Soonyoung threw something without a warning, and although Seungkwan knew that the blond didn't mean it, the hot can of coffee would've caused a bruise on his face if it weren't for his quick reflexes. Seungkwan blinked, a little stunned, and Soonyoung grinned back.

"It's on me."

Seungkwan snickered and slipped the can of coffee into his blazer pocket.

 

 

 

 

The streets were nearly deserted. Seungkwan knew that the walk back home wasn't going to take too long, but it would've spared him an extra half an hour to sleep had he taken the bus. He slipped earphones into his ears to block away shoutings by drunkards that could be heard occasionally in the distance, only to yank it out in annoyance after a few minutes because his batteries had completely died.

Seungkwan mindlessly calculated the hours of his shifts with every step worn with fatigue, his shadow sliding across the sidewalk with each approaching street lamp above his head. As Seungkwan got closer to home, his weariness made the uphill road to his house feel steeper than usual. He almost tripped over a crack in the pavement, and Seungkwan glared up at the dull lights as if to blame them. Some street lamps flickered, while some were so pathetically dim that it couldn't attract a single moth. Seungkwan laughed hollow, as the murkiness of the lights reminded him of himself.

The barely effective raise of the minimum wage was probably the luminous part of his flickering life. Where else could he send in a resume? How many more jobs could he possibly squeeze in between his job at the convenience store and his studies? How many hours of sleep could he have tomorrow?

"You're late."

Seungkwan stopped in his tracks at the deep familiar voice.

 _How much more do I have to endure_ , Seungkwan swallowed, _to escape Choi Seungcheol?_

The tall, dark man sat in front of his doorstep, breathing out clouds of smoke as he slowly got up to his feet. Illuminated under the dim lights, Seungkwan stared at Seungcheol's shapely chiseled features exposed under his pushed back hair. At first, Seungkwan hadn't believed that a guy with such a stunning profile made a living out of beating people up.

Once or twice or so, Seungkwan was weekly visited by loan sharks to have his home invaded, to have everything turned upside down with their incessant screamings and beatings to have the money ready. Those monsters scared Seungkwan, they tortured him, made him jump at the smallest noises that turned out to be nothing, made him jolt awake in the middle of night, sweaty and panting from nightmares.

But this man, Choi Seungcheol, the supposed leader of these debt-collectors, never really had any effect on Seungkwan. Or at least, not of such kind. Maybe it was because he was so good-looking, Seungkwan thoughtlessly ventured.

Or maybe it was because Seungcheol, despite being a loan shark, was so damn _nice_ to him.

And Seungkwan hated him for it. How dare he, despite being someone who should strip him of dignity, of respect, of everything he had, now become someone of -Seungkwan didn't know what, he didn't want to admit it- significance? Trying to ignore the wave of relief that overwhelmed him when their eyes met, Seungkwan walked over. He stretched his hand, took the cigarette that burned steadily between Seungcheol's lips, and mashed the lights under his shoes. He looked up at Seungcheol to see the man smiling down at him.

"Do you have any idea how vulnerable you look, walking around a deserted neighbourhood at this time of night?" Seungcheol tilted his head as he scanned Seungkwan from head to toe. "...Dressed in school uniform?"

Seungkwan tried to brush past him, but Seungcheol grabbed Seungkwan by the wrist to plant the younger boy in front of him.

"It's dangerous, kiddo."

"Ahjussi, who do you think I'm doing this for?" Seungkwan snapped. "You're the one that's bugging me for money."

"I don't know," Seungcheol shrugged. "All I know is that you're not the guy that ran away with someone else's money."

Seungkwan closed his mouth. He didn't really want to talk about his father tonight.

"And I've been waiting," Seungcheol's low voice drifted with the wind. "for you."

Silence fell between the two, with the faint hum of the lights droning from above. For some odd reason, silence was never an uncomfortable element when shared with Seungcheol. Truthfully though, it was probably because Seungcheol was the only person that knew his deepest secrets that Seungkwan wanted to hide from everyone else; his runaway father hounded by loan sharks, his mother who left the family without a word, and himself, who was just somehow making it through each day.

Seungcheol knew things like that. And at the end of the day, Seungkwan knew Seungcheol came home feeling the same things. That life sucked.

Seungcheol moved to the side and leaned against the wall as if to give Seungkwan an option to go. He slipped a new cigarette between his lips.

"Boo Seungkwan."

Seungkwan bit on his lower lip at Seungcheol's voice. He could never leave after that.

"When I started doing this around your age, I used to carry around a big wooden stick to defend myself. You know, like a broken leg from a wooden table. And whenever I used it, I got this wooden splinter stuck under my nail. Always."

Seungkwan turned to face Seungcheol, unable to understand what the man was trying to say.

"Pretty annoying, really. I could forget about it, but I knew it was there, because it was always reminding me of its presence by pricking. The stinging was minimal, but if I ignored it for a long time, it became a serious wound and started numbing other parts of my body."

"What are you..."

Seungkwan opened his mouth, confused and perplexed, but Seungcheol didn't let him finish.

"Wooden splinters." Seungcheol spat with force. "You're exactly like those damned wooden splinters."

Seungkwan widened his eyes, a bit frightened at the tone of Seungcheol's angry voice and not knowing how to interpret Seungcheol's words. Sometimes Seungkwan forgot that Seungcheol was a man with blood on his hands. After all, the only images Seungkwan carried of him were either expresionless ones with puffs of smoke covering the better half of his face, or the laid-back smiles he got whenever Seungkwan spotted him waiting for him outside of his house. Seungkwan broke off the gaze, giving his best to hide his crazily racing heart.

"I get my paycheck tomorrow." Seungkwan tried to speak with composure. "It's enough to cover this month's pay, so don't send your men over."

He walked past and pushed the gates open. Over the creaks of the rusted gates, Seungcheol's voice penetrated all noise and drilled into Seungkwan's ears.

"I'm going to reduce your debt."

The words froze Seungkwan in his spot for a second, until the boy spun around and stared at Seungcheol in disbelief. Chuckling at Seungkwan's reaction, Seungcheol straightened himself.

"All of it."

"Ahjussi," Seungkwan stammered, "A-Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

Seungcheol responded nonchalantly as he approached Seungkwan closer and closer. By the time Seungcheol's face was inches before his own, Seungkwan faltered back only to be met by a dead end of the block beside the gate. Trapped between Seungcheol and the wall, Seungkwan's eyelashes flitted in consternation. Seungcheol lightly tapped his lean finger against Seungkwan's lips.

"If you give me this."

Seungkwan stared at the large dark eyes staring back at him. Then his gaze slided down to Seungcheol's nose, to his lips, and he held his breath as the smell of mint mixed with cigarettes wafted into his system. Seungkwan was supposed to be furious. He was supposed to be enraged that Seungcheol was playing around with him, toying him with money, yet he could feel his heart pounding so fast that it was beginning to frighten him, even daze him. Seungkwan forced himself to grab his slipping conscience and managed to open his mouth.

"Get lost." Seungkwan spat, his voice hoarse. "I'll just pay you back."

Seungcheol smirked as if to have expected his answer.

"Suit yourself."

He said and leaned back.

Seungkwan's tongue caressed over his dry lips. He was flustered that he was feeling frustrated, even sorry that it didn't happen, and Seungkwan quickly turned around to head inside when Seungcheol grabbed him back and spun him around. Seungcheol pulled Seungkwan in, his arms firmly around Seungkwan as he held him in his embrace. Letting his guard down, something Seungcheol hadn't done in a very long time, he rested his head on Seungkwan's shoulder as the younger male stood stiff in surprise.

After a long moment, when Seungcheol lost the count of seconds and Seungkwan had the nerve to start crying, Seungcheol pat Seungkwan's back as if to reassure him that everything was going to be okay.

"Hang in there," Seungcheol whispered as Seungkwan's arms linked around his body. "You're one heck of a stubborn wooden splinter."

 

 

 

 

The digital clock on the monitor of his cash register told Seungkwan that it was almost one o'clock.

_"A notorious gang enterprise associated with illegal money lending and violent crimes have been finally exposed of last night. Here is Reporter Kim with more details."_

Seungkwan almost dozed off to the voice of the dull news anchor, as the the midnight news on the television by his workstation was coming to an end. Seungkwan blinked furiously, slapping his cheeks lightly to keep himself awake. His shift only had a few minutes before its end, and Soonyoung had already texted him that he was almost here.

Besides -Seungkwan bit the insides of his mouth to keep himself from beaming too obviously- tonight was pay day. Seungcheol was going to be waiting for him in front of his house, and Seungkwan would be able to see him earlier tonight, considering that he was going to take the bus. Seungkwan felt a wave of heat rush to his face as he found himself wanting to hear those reassuring words again. Preferably, in Seungcheol's strangely warm and comforting embrace. If anything, Seungkwan thought to himself, he could always pretend that he'd gone nuts and jump into Seungcheol's hard, sturdy arms.

_"This gang is known to have been involved in acts of fraud for decades, through unlawful monetary exchanges and adding false interests."_

A young woman came into the store and placed a can of coke on the counter. Suppressing a yawn, Seungkwan scanned the item. On the television screen, a tall man with a dark cap pressed over his head, was being taken into the police station and getting bombarded with flashing camera lights.

"1,300 won please."

Seungkwan said to the woman. As he waited for the customer to dig up her change, Seungkwan's eyes casually turned to the television again.

_"Police has not yet explained as to why the leader of the Choi gang had suddenly decided to turn himself in or what the motivation is behind his confessions. To the public, the mystery still remains."_

Seungkwan froze. He recognized the familiar silhouette. He recognized those lean fingers, those arms, and those exact shoulders which made Seungkwan want to lean on them again.

"Excuse me, can you hurry up?"

Seungkwan heard the woman's annoyed voice, and he systematically moved his hands to accept the change and ring it through the cash register. His brain clashed with the _ka-ching_ of the machine, alike an explosion, or a realization in his world like the big bang, causing his thinking to blur. Or his vision. They were both fading and starting to get blurry, drowning out the reporter's voice.

"Seungkwan-ah, I'm here!"

Soonyoung rushed inside, moving out of the way as the customer left with her bottle of coke. The chime of the convenience store rang at Seungkwan's head, echoing with Seungcheol's low soothing voice of telling him to be strong. Seungkwan shut his eyes, drops of tears falling onto the counter.

"You have plenty of time to catch the bus-" Soonyoung's eyes widened. "You're crying, oh my god, is something wrong?"

Seungkwan shook his head, looking up at Soonyoung and trying to smile.

"He cashed me out."

Seungkwan said between stifles of muffled cries. The tears didn't stop flowing, and Seungkwan brought his hands up to his eyes as they continued to drip down his arms.

"Ahjussi saved me."


	2. Epilogue (Saved)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not fair. Seungcheol broke the rules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to add an epilogue that no one asked for. I had a mental breakdown writing this because a huge chunk went AWOL on me, I was stupid enough not to save while writing and I accidentally clicked the refresh button, and I was literally moping so hard. I feel like it would've turned out much better if that didn't happen, but here it is. 
> 
> +) 1. i encourage you guys to skim through chapter 1 because there's a lot of references back to it and it would be good?  
> 2\. how to live like seungkwan  
> 3\. why do i like ahjussi!seungcheol so much  
> 4\. the epilogue is actually longer than the first chapter i fail

"2,200 won, please."  
  
Seungkwan watched with empty eyes as the woman handed him exact change and exited the convenience store with a bottle of water and a pack of mints. The cash register rang with a hollow  _ka-ching,_  and Seungkwan bit his lips as he felt his eyes start to sting. Bills and coins laid in its appropriate compartments, and Seungkwan hands trembled faintly as he dropped the change accordingly to its place.  
  
Mint. Cash. For an involuntary second, Seungkwan tried to remember what the vague scent of mint mixed with cigarettes smelled like. Startling himself with the thought, Seungkwan violently pushed the cash register shut. Tears gathered in his eyes, and Seungkwan tried to convince himself that it was from the anger he had for himself.  
  
It was ridiculous. Seungkwan didn't have to worry about money anymore. It had been a week since Seungkwan became free of debt, a reality that Seungkwan never dreamed to achieve. The first thing Seungkwan did was to drop his night shifts. 

"I'm going to miss apologizing to you every night for being late," Soonyoung had pouted only to grin instantly, "but I'm glad you'll be getting some sleep now."

Seungkwan was grateful that Soonyoung didn't question anything when he dragged the older male to karoake to 'celebrate', only to break down crying in the middle of singing 'You Don't Know Love'.  
  
Wrapped in Soonyoung's warm hug under the spinning lights, Seungkwan never had the chance to tell him the real reason why he'd dropped the night shifts. Truthfully, Seungkwan didn't have the guts to withstand the midnight news that seemed to have no plans of dropping Seungcheol from its topic for the next month. But still, Soonyoung was right, Seungkwan was able to sleep as much as he wanted.  
  
He didn't remember the last time he stumbled over a crack in the road or bumped into someone because he'd stayed up all night doing homework after coming home from work. Seungkwan did better in school than he ever did before, and he no longer got into trouble for dozing off in class. Seungkwan was able to learn what _peace_  was, not having to worry about those scary men charging into his house unnoticed, screaming and harassing him for money. He didn't wake up in the middle of the night panting from nightmares anymore, and wiping tears off his face cleaning after their rampage became mere history.  
  
But Seungkwan didn't notice that he no longer smiled either.  
  
"Seungkwan, I'll take over from here."  
  
Seungkwan jolted awake at Jisoo's voice beside him. Jisoo was the employee that switched his shift with Seungkwan's, and Seungkwan nodded as he took off his orange vest. Jisoo's shifts were shorter and less paid due to the dead hour of the convenience store, and Seungkwan was still in the middle of adjusting to being relaxed. It felt odd not to be desperate.  
  
"You don't look so well, is everything okay?"  
  
Jisoo asked, studying Seungkwan's expressionless face. Seungkwan tried to breathe out the knot in his stomach and forced a laugh.  
  
"I'm fine, hyung. And again, thanks for switching shifts with me."

"No problem, I've been wondering how you managed to pull your hectic life together all this time anyways." Jisoo gave him a brotherly smile. "And good luck on your exams, okay?"  
  
The ends of Seungkwan's lips curled into a smile, a genuine one this time. Waving goodbye, Seungkwan hurled his backpack over his shoulder and was about to exit the store when he stopped before the door. Seungkwan hesitated momentarily, before turning around and approaching the counter. He placed a pack of mints on the counter and dug into his pockets for some change as Jisoo cashed it out for him.  
  
"Oh, and I work here."   
  
Seungkwan said playfully, causing Jisoo to smirk as he processed employee discount.  
  
"Now that's more like the Seungkwan I know."

He said and stretched out his palms.

"That would be 900 won."

 

 

  
  
Getting off the bus, Seungkwan hurried uphill towards his house. It was only late afternoon, yet the sun had set and darkness was beginning to creep in. A gust of wind blew softly and caressed through Seungkwan's hair. Quickening his pace, Seungkwan adjusted the collar of his shirt from the emptiness that the breeze carried, stopping short when the street lamps above him suddenly lit. Someone in the neighbourhood seemed to have reported the dying lights because none were flickering anymore. Everything was changing. Seungkwan blinked, looking up at the lights for a brief second until his brows creased.  
  
Seungkwan wondered why he was being so stupid. Didn't he want this? To be free, to live like a normal high school student, to have his path brightly lit without having to wonder when it'll die out?  
  
Seungkwan gritted his teeth, trying to persuade himself in every way that he should be happy. He hated how he couldn't just ignore the unopen envelope of cash that had been untouched in his bag for an entire week, something that should've been taken away by Seungcheol on the night of the promised date. Seungkwan angrily took out the pack of mints from his pocket and shoved a few into his mouth. The strong fragrance stung, smarting his eyes and nose. He wished there was a waft of cigarettes, a cloud of smoke that always let him know that he was there, waiting for him.  
  
_You're late._  
  
Seungkwan's eyes widened at the familiar voice as he whipped his head up. He exhaled when he saw that nobody was there, his sigh carrying disappointment or relief, he wasn't really sure himself. Seungkwan stopped in front of his desolate house. Wooden splinters. Seungkwan was beginning to understand what Seungcheol meant by that. The fucking bastard became one himself under Seungkwan's very own nails.

The realization hitting him with a pang and engulfing him in a daze, Seungkwan suddenly reeled around sprinted down the hill. He darted as fast as he could and didn't stop running, ignoring the deafening pounding of his heart. 

Jisoo's eyes rounded at Seungkwan's disheveled form when the younger male tumbled inside the store, panting but trying to muster everything he had left in him even before he could catch his breath.

"Hyung," Seungkwan heaved, "Can we switch shifts again?"

 

 

The huge, stone-hard plain building emitted heavy atmosphere.  
  
Seungkwan felt sick, unsure if he was intimidated by the place bearing the name 'prison', or just nervous at the thought of seeing Seungcheol. He signed the form that he was ordered to fill in, and handed it in to a man sitting behind the counter.  
  
"Visit for Choi Seungcheol?"  
  
The guard's brows soared as he read Seungcheol's name aloud. Scanning Seungkwan curiously from head to toe, the guard unwillingly got up from his seat.  
  
"A visitor for prisoner 12293."  
  
He gruffly called into his radio.  _You mean Seungcheol_ , Seungkwan grumbled to himself as he followed the guard that guided him through the hall. Seungkwan was ushered into a small interview room with a wide glass separating two areas, just like the ones he'd seen in movies. Within minutes that felt like years, Seungcheol entered the room, in pale blue prison uniform and hands bonded together by metal handcuffs. He stopped briefly when he spotted Seungkwan, a look of surprise flitting across his face before it was hid behind his usual mask of a laid-back smile.  
  
"What are you doing here?"

Seungcheol sat in front of Seungkwan, his voice laced with fatigue.

"This isn't a place for students like you, kiddo."  
  
Overwhelemed with incomprehensible mixtures of emotions when he saw the face he'd missed so much, Seungkwan paused, trying to sort out the jumble of words inside his head. But unknowing what to say first, he settled with a glare at the man sitting in front of him.  
  
"This isn't fair, ahjussi."

"What do you mean?"  
  
Seungcheol chuckled, and Seungkwan wondered how the man had the nerve to laugh in this situation.  
  
"You broke the rules."

Seungkwan said firmly, trying to keep his gaze steady.

"I didn't give you what you wanted so you weren't supposed to reduce my debt."  
  
Seungcheol's smile faded as if he just realized that Seungkwan was actually there in front of his eyes. He sat still, looking at Seungkwan as if to take in every inch of his form.  
  
"I wanted to forget about you." Seungkwan continued, clenching his fists under the glass so that Seungcheol couldn't see them. "I kept telling myself that you're a bad guy, that you ruined my life, that you were the reason I was so exhausted every night."  
  
Seungcheol broke off the gaze, his jaw hardening.  
  
"But are you?" Seungkwan whispered, drawing Seungcheol to face him again. "Are you really bad?"  
  
A forced laugh slipped between Seungcheol's pursed lips.  
  
"Seungkwan, I'd like to show you but unfortunately I'm handcuffed at the moment."  
  
Seungkwan frowned and unzipped his backpack. He held up a fat, unopened envelope and placed it on the counter.  
  
"I'm still going to pay you back. Down to every cent."  
  
Seungcheol cocked his head, clearly entertained as his eyes glinted in amusement.  
  
"You should consider moving with that money, it bothers me that you still haven't fixed that lock of yours after my guys broke into your house last time."  
  
Seungkwan ignored him.  
  
"It's yours. The entire amount will be ready by the time you come back out again, I promise."

He said instead, and paused before he opened his mouth again. 

"You  _are_  coming back out, right?"

"Regrettably, yes." Seungcheol smiled bitterly. "Not that I have a reason to live again."

"Don't I count?"  
  
At Seungkwan's words, Seungcheol stared at the boy through the glass, unable to mask his expression this time. Seungkwan couldn't tell what it was, maybe a look of shock, or maybe it was one of confusion, because Seungkwan hadn't exactly proved him his point. After a long moment when Seungkwan's face started to flush bright red, Seungcheol broke out into a huge laughter, something Seungkwan had never seen before. Seungkwan's heart began to race, seeing Seungcheol's eyes disappear into crescents for the first time he'd seen him.  
  
"You know, it's really unhealthy to develop a crush on a loan shark." Seungcheol managed, his voice still sparkling. "And dangerous, kiddo."

"Anything is healthier than dealing with the stupid wooden splinter under my nails."  
  
Seungcheol brought his cuffed hands up to the counter and rested his chin. He smiled as if to have understood the analogy.  
  
"And I'm not moving."

Seungkwan added hastily, trying to ignore the sudden rush of heat to his face. A look of concern replaced the faint smile on Seungcheol's lips.  
  
"Move, Seungkwan. That house is really unsafe."

"At least it'll have you worried. How's that for motivation to come back out quickly?"  
  
Before Seungcheol could counter back, the monotonous voice of the guard interrupted their conversation.  
  
"Your time's up."  
  
Seungkwan squirmed in his seat, reluctant to leave. He slowly got up when the guard opened the door, looking back at Seungcheol for one last time.  
  
"Bye, ahjussi. I'll come back soon."  
  
Seungcheol rubbed his temples, the other hand involuntarily dangling beside his head.  
  
"You're one heck of a stubborn kid, you know that?"

"I know." Seungkwan smiled. "I've heard that one before."  
  
Leaving the confined building, Seungkwan ran to catch the bus that would take him right to the convenience store. He rested his head against the window and closed his eyes, trying to catch up on sleep he lacked since the day he took back the night shifts. Drifting to a light-hearted sleep, a vague smile blossomed from Seungkwan's mouth.  
  
Seungcheol had saved him once, and it was Seungkwan's turn to save him.

 

  
  
  
The pub was awfully crowded, Seungkwan noticed, as he hastily rushed over to the party of four girls waving him over, probably to order another pitcher of beer. Seungkwan took the order and notified Jeonghan the bartender, and paced over to another table before he had a chance to catch his breath.  
  
"Busy night, isn't it?"  
  
Jeonghan hummed when Seungkwan returned for the pitcher of beer, who held up his finger for the older male to save that question until he came back. Jeonghan placed a glass of churning turquoise liquid onto the counter that sparkled in red and green lights, nodding for the secondth time when Seungkwan mouthed _one sec, hyung_.  
  
"Well, it is Christmas season." Seungkwan only managed to reply after a round of his tables. "Although, it's still final exams week and I can't fathom how everyone has the luxury of getting drunk."  
  
Having started indifferently, Seungkwan finished his sentence in a huff as if his words gradually built some sense of injustice in his head.  
  
"Well, to be fair,"

Hansol joined in, supporting a bucket of chicken wings in one hand.

"You can't really compare your situation to them, they're only human and you're  _inhuman_."

"Don't you have chicken wings to serve?"  
  
Seungkwan snapped and Hansol glided away, silently shuddering towards Jeonghan and implying how it was pretty impossible for anyone to be as dogged and dedicated as Seungkwan was. Jeonghan bit his lips, trying to stifle back a laugh as the four girls called for Seungkwan again and the younger male plastered the brightest smile on his face before skipping over. Seungkwan seemed unusually excited today, which could only mean one thing; he was going to see his boyfriend tonight (Seungkwan always fired up and heatedly said that he wasn’t his boyfriend but it was pretty obvious) whom he supposedly hadn’t seen in months. Jeonghan wondered who the lucky man was (or unlucky, depending on how one saw it) to deal with such a fiery spirit.

Jeonghan didn't exactly know all the details of Seungkwan's life, but Hansol sure wasn't over-exaggerating when he called the boy "inhuman". Aside from the fact that Seungkwan was a very intelligent law student at Seoul University with just a few months left before graduation, Seungkwan had never taken a break from school or the pub since first year. And from what he'd picked up from working with Seungkwan for four years, the boy didn’t spend money like kids his age did. Seungkwan didn’t own a car or sport a lavish lifestyle, and didn’t bother to dress himself in fancy clothes. Plus, according to Hansol, Seungkwan always got his tuition fee covered with scholarships every year. So really, calling Seungkwan inhuman was rather an understatement, especially since he went out of his way to help out at the convenience store he worked at since high school to earn some extra bucks during vacations.  

The guy had to be super motivated to pull it all off, but Seungkwan only shrugged his shoulders when interrogated about the reason behind his insane lifestyle.

“I’m under a huge debt, okay?”

He would sometimes grace them with the same answer if he couldn’t take any more of Hansol’s badgering, but really, no one believed that one.

“Hyung, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Waking up from his thoughts, Jeonghan nodded at Seungkwan who switched out of his black uniform. The long-haired bartender smirked at the view of the younger male dressed exceptionally cute, finally having abandoned his usual attire of sweatpants and a hoodie.

“Enjoy your date.”

Jeonghan called as he reached for the cocktail shaker, and Seungkwan turned around as he pulled down the scarf that was covering his mouth.

“We’re not dating!”

He shouted indignantly and pulled the scarf back up, but higher this time, to cover his blushing cheeks.

 

 

 

_Prisoner 12293? It’s been over a month since he’s been released for being a model prisoner._

It was the last thing Seungkwan expected to hear from the guard when he filed into see Seungcheol. The guard’s voice reiterated over and over in his ears, and Seungkwan stopped walking when he noticed that the lights were flickering above his head, finally realizing that he’d been walking for hours from the prison to his neighbourhood. Seungkwan blinked far into the distance, his pupils lost in the dark without a particular focus.

Choi Seungcheol broke the rules again, disappearing without a trace.

Maybe that was why Seungcheol had convinced Seungkwan to refrain from visiting him so often. Seungkwan had reluctantly agreed, because he was growing anxious in balancing between his school and work as it was his last year of undergraduate studies. And today Seungkwan found out that Seungcheol was gone. For over a month. 

Seungcheol was bad after all.

Becoming a lawyer now seemed stupid without a purpose. Dragging himself to move again, Seungkwan walked uphill as tears flowed down his face. The hot tears chilled in the snow, wetting the tip of his scarf and freezing against his skin. He hadn’t realized that it was snowing, having been immune to the surroundings around him ever since he left the prison. Brushing over his eyes with his coat sleeves, Seungkwan placed his foot in front of him, instantly knowing that it was mistake. A thin sheet of ice had formed over the concrete, and Seungkwan realized that it was a miracle he hadn’t slipped while walking uphill until now. Feeling his body sway back, Seungkwan shut his eyes and waited to crack his skull on the ice when he was caught in a pair of sturdy arms.

“I told you to move.”

He faintly smelled of mint and cigarettes.

“I also thought I told you to stop wandering around so late.”

Seungkwan’s eyes fluttered open. Seungcheol was smiling down at him, and Seungkwan quickly found balance on his feet to escape from Seungcheol’s embrace. Was he hallucinating again? Or maybe the damage on his brain was playing a trick on him, because Choi Seungcheol was standing in front of him, as real as ever.

“Watch out.”

Seungcheol reached for Seungkwan as the younger male faltered back, too concerned to notice that Seungkwan had pushed him away.

“A-Ahjussi,” Seungkwan stammered in disbelief, his eyelashes flitting with every blink. “Ahjussi…”

“Yeah.”

“Ahjussi…”

Seungcheol watched Seungkwan’s eyes waver, his voice breaking as he called for him over and over again. Seungcheol’s gaze was warm as he stretched out his hand and ruffled Seungkwan’s hair.

“I’ve been dying to do this for so long.”

At the touch of Seungcheol’s hand, Seungkwan crumbled down and burst into tears. Seungcheol crouched down to take Seungkwan in his arms, letting the crying boy wet his shoulder as he gently whispered countless _I'm_ _sorry_ into his ears. The snow flurried around softly as if to have promised amongst themselves not to interrupt the two of them, piling subtly on the scrape of their shoes.

 

 

 

“ _This_ was not fun.”

Seungkwan grumbled from Seungcheol’s back as they stopped in front of his house.

Seungcheol had insisted to carry Seungkwan because he didn’t think the boy had it in him to walk properly in his emotional state ( _That’s your fault!_ Seungkwan barked from his embrace, only to hear Seungcheol's  _exactly, so you should let me piggyback you_ , which sparked a very short and awkward argument). Seungkwan said no profusely, afraid that Seungcheol might slip on the ice, but he really had no choice when Seungcheol squeezed him between his arms and refused to let go unless he let him carry him on his back.

“I had fun.” Seungcheol said cheerfully, bumping Seungkwan up when the younger male slipped down. “Although, I just never realized how short the distance was to your house.”

Glad that he had the scarf to hide his face, Seungkwan jumped down from Seungcheol’s back and pushed open the door.

“Well?” Seungkwan looked at Seungcheol with puffy eyes. “Aren’t you coming in?”

Seungcheol looked hesitant to enter, almost embarrassed, and Seungkwan snickered knowing how Seungcheol had the experience of kicking his door open and barging into his house before.

“I can’t believe you still live here.” Seungcheol said, his voice hinting with faint disapproval as he scratched the back of his neck. “I told you this house is unsafe.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to find me if I moved.” Seungkwan blurted, forgetting to filter his honesty. “Like today.”

Silence fell in the room, and Seungkwan deliberately shuffled boisterously around his house as if that might help with his embarrassment. He came back with a box of band-aids and ointments, and Seungcheol raised his brows.

“Take your shirt off.” Seungkwan said, pulling down the hem of Seungcheol's shirt to seat him on the floor. “I know you’re hurt.”

Seungkwan uncurled his fist to reveal a considerable amount of blood stain. He'd been scared witless when he first noticed that Seungcheol was wounded from the blood that smeared onto his hand when he was on his back. And that was when Seungkwan heard it, Seungcheol's occasional soft grunts as if he was in pain.

Seungcheol’s face visibly hardened.

“I’m fine,” He replied curtly, “There’s no need.”

The crease between Seungkwan’s brows deepened. Seungcheol wasn’t fine and it was making him mad. He could basically see blood seeping into his shirt.

“You’re not fine, let me see.” Seungkwan argued, his tone elevating in frustration. “Or else I’m going to kick you out of my house.”

Seungcheol remained quiet for a few seconds. Then to Seungkwan’s surprise, he slowly started to remove his shirt. It was an empty threat Seungkwan had spat in the moment, and he really hadn’t expected Seungcheol to comply so easily. With a bit of Seungkwan's patience Seungcheol’s shirt came off, revealing his tattooed shoulders and chest completely. It was covered in blue and purple bruises, and pools of blood had already started to scab here and there. Seungkwan never realized to be one of so much tears, as he bit his lips and tried to swallow them back.

“Seungkwan-ah, I don’t want to be the person that makes you cry all the time.”

Seungcheol brushed his fingers against Seungkwan’s eyes, his hands skating down to cup Seungkwan’s face when they rolled off his eyes.

“This doesn’t hurt,” Seungcheol nudged to the scars and bruises on his body. “But seeing you cry does.”

“I thought you stopped doing this.”

Seungkwan voiced hoarsely, cautiously fingering over one of Seungcheol's bruises.

“I did, I promise.” Seungcheol’s tone was like one of reassuring a child. “I just had minimal things to take care of.”

Seungcheol continued when Seungkwan didn’t seem to believe him.

“I can’t let a law student date a loan shark, can I? I wanted to make sure I cut the ties completely. It’s over.”

Seungcheol grabbed his shirt on the floor and started to wipe his blood off of Seungkwan's hands with it. Rubbing a little forcefully, Seungcheol smiled bitterly.

“Something like this is never going to happen again.”

Seungcheol met Seungkwan’s gaze, looking for some kind of answer.

“So you can introduce me to your friends and we can go on double-dates and do everything you want, okay?”

Seungkwan nodded as he looked down at Seungcheol’s thick, rough hands. They seemed to tell Seungkwan a story, a very painful one, and Seungkwan tried to blink the tears back as he smiled.

“Thanks, ahjussi.”

Seungcheol wordlessly watched the other male until he reached out to hold Seungkwan’s chin. Seungkwan stared at the face in front of him, still shapely chiseled and breathtakingly handsome like the first day he met him. Seungcheol leaned in, and Seungkwan stood frozen as Seungcheol's lips gently overlapped his own. _Finally_ , Seungcheol whispered into his mouth. The kiss was short-lived but sweet, a little minty.

“Look who's debt-free.”

Seungcheol’s words came out muffled against Seungkwan’s lower lip. Seungkwan parted away, his face flushed deep pink. Seungcheol pulled Seungkwan back in, nuzzling his face over Seungkwan’s scarf and kissing him deeper this time.

Seungcheol didn’t seem at all out of breath when Seungkwan pushed him away, trying to catch some air.

“Oh, and you can quit all your jobs. Come work for me.”

Seungcheol said as he waited for Seungkwan to collect himself, wiping the younger male's slippery lips.

“You opened a business?”

Seungkwan blinked, a little surprised and still huffing.

“It’s not big yet,” Seungcheol sniffled. “But it’ll get there. It’s a ddeokbokki stand.”

Amused by the unbalancing contrast between Seungcheol and a ddeokbokki vendor, Seungkwan broke out into laughter. It didn’t last so long, as Seungcheol leaned forward and captured most of Seungkwan's laughs into his mouth. 

"I'll pay you double. Kisses and hugs included." 

Seungcheol pecked Seungkwan's lips with an air of finality. 

"Alright," 

Seungkwan lightly kissed him back and grinned as he swung his arms around Seungcheol's neck.

"It's a deal, ahjussi." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this angst took a huge diversion ;-) I hope you guys liked it! Kudos make my day, comments of any kind are welcome, and feedback would be awesome.


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